


Of All The Cargo Bays In All The 'Verse

by Silverweave



Category: Firefly, Torchwood
Genre: Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship, Crack Crossover, Gen, Post-Serenity (2005), Self-Imposed Crossover Fic Challenge, Wordcount: 500-1.000
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-05-30 08:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15093104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverweave/pseuds/Silverweave
Summary: "There's worse things out here than a lucky man."Or; the Serenity crew have encountered more than their fair share of dead folk in drifting space shuttles. Traditionally, the dead folk stay that way.





	Of All The Cargo Bays In All The 'Verse

Captain Jack Harkness stood in the main cargo bay, waiting. It'd been hours since his small shuttle had been scooped out of the stars and in all that time, he'd not been left alone once, something he'd yet to determine a good or bad sign. Currently, the man guarding him was the very definition of "the muscle", an effect only slightly dampened by the fact that he was sporting what Jack could only describe as the world's worst tea-cosy on his head. He'd introduced himself as Jayne and his gun as Vera. Jack liked him already.

Finally, after many more minutes under the steely glare of Jayne's vigil, another man entered the bay, nodded at Jayne and jogged slowly down to where Jack was waiting.

"So, mystery man. You got a name?"

"Captain Jack Harkness. Nice ship you got here. These Fireflies may not the biggest ships in the skies, but those engines? Beautiful, just keep on running."

Jack's offered hand went unshaken and he slipped it back in his pocket. The other man regarded him critically, as if he'd been expecting someone else.

"Name's Captain Reynolds," he said eventually, "Mal to those who know me well enough, which you don't."

"Well then, Captain Reynolds, I'm much obliged to you." Jack sat down on one of the cargo crates, still just glad to be breathing in the free air again. Even free air that smelled slightly of cow.

"I ain't ever seen that uniform on an Alliance man before."

"And you won't ever either. It's what you might call vintage."

"Me? I'd just call it a coat. Kinda swanky, but just a coat."

"I'm guessing you prefer something in brown." Captain Reynolds eyebrows remained resolutely stationary. Jack was impressed. "Can't say as I blame you."

"You know what else I've never seen, Captain Jack Harness?"

"I can guess."

"A man floating round the black in an escape pod with no fuel, no light and what else? Oh, that's right- no air left in his cylinders."

"Yeah. I can see how that might make a man suspicious."

"A-feared, some might say."

"But not you, I'm guessing."

"There's worse things out here than a lucky man."

"You know about the Reavers?"

"I do. And I pity them." This time the other eyebrows moved just a fraction, the tiniest hint of approval. "What was done to those people, the whole Miranda project-"

"-Wasn't the only one. We know there were others. Other places. Me and my crew, we're going to find them too, shut 'em up and shut 'em down."

"And why are you telling me this?" Jack asked, genuinely intrigued by Mal's attitude. He'd had many of these confused conversations over his many millennia of years but none so candid. "I could be anyone."

"But you ain't. There's something of the other with you, Captain. Serenity might not be the fastest ship in the verse or even the fanciest, but there's a river of kindness running through her. And she's been expecting you."

"I gotta say Captain, I'm kinda confused," frowned Jack. "If you knew me better, you'd know that doesn't happen too often."

Mal just smiled and sat down next to Jack.

"River's one of my crew, a girl who also has something of the other running through her veins. She sees things, what you might call future-related. She found Miranda, now she's found you. Says you're a good man too, brave and loyal, with more than one party trick up his sleeve. That's good enough for me."

"Must be one hell of a girl."

"River? She's a firecracker. Other things too, but mostly a powder keg."

"Then I'm flattered."

"You should be. Not a lot of people piss off River. Least not twice, anyways."

"Noted."

"I know who you are, Captain Jack Harkness, and some about where you come from. You walked the earth as was, more than once I hear. And now I'm asking you to walk with us."

Jack tried not to let his surprise show and failed. If he hadn't been intrigued before, he sure as hell was now. "I'm guessing you don't like to take no for answer."

"You're sharp, Jack. I like that in a man." Mal got to his feet and offered his hand. "The pay's terrible and the food's worse, but the people are true and the ride sure is worth it."

"That Serenity or the people?" Jack asked flirtatiously.

"Both," said Mal without blinking. "But you treat 'em right, or I don’t care how good your party tricks are, I'm going to enjoy finding what else you can go without 'sides the air."

Jack stood and shook Mal's hand gratefully, smiling his best smile. "Captain Reynolds, you had me at hello."  
  
~~~

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to LJ, 4th December 2007. Uploaded to AO3 29th July 2018, with minor edits.
> 
> This started life as a drabble on LJ for ignipes eleven years ago (!), who requested Captain Jack Harkness meets Captain Malcolm Reynolds for the Self-Imposed Crossover Fic Challenge *. I would particulary like to emphasise the second part...
> 
> _* Give me two characters from different fandoms you know I'm familiar with, and I'll give you a dialogue happening between the two of them. Without justifying how the crossover would work, how their worlds clashed, or how they could even meet each other. Just a silly crossover conversation with no backstory, for fun._


End file.
